Wildlife's taste for horticultural crops costs millions of dollars, study says Wednesday, March 6, 2013 by SUSAN MANNDeer, rabbits and mice are munching their way through $24.8 million worth of Ontario’s horticultural crops annually, according to preliminary results from an Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association study.Brian Gilroy, association property section chair, says that’s a conservative estimate. The figure is estimated from a survey of growers and commodity organizations. The study, being done by Susan Fitzgerald, is due to completed at the end of March.Gilroy, who has an apple farm near Georgian Bay, says he’s seen the damage deer cause to trees first hand. “The trees are planted and you come back in a couple of days and they look like sticks.”Some people can’t plant an orchard at all in parts of the Georgian Bay area and in other areas of the province because of deer.Wildlife damage is tricky to measure, particularly in tree fruit where deer nip off the tops of young trees, throwing them out of balance. Trees could be affected for their entire lives. Deer are also eating vegetable crops, while birds are chowing down on grapes. “In some of the vegetable crops the damage is incredible there as well. It’s enough to make you cry,” Gilroy says.Measures to protect against mice, which girdle the bark around the bottom of the tree killing it, include mice baits, tree guards and paint for trees. But tree guards are an expensive option for today’s high-density orchards that can have 1,200 trees per acre, so they’re not used as much anymore. Most people have gone to using paint and traps, notes Gilroy.“We’ve got a reasonable handle on mouse damage and that didn’t really come up that much in the survey,” he says.In some other provinces there are stand-alone programs under Growing Forward, the national agricultural policy, to provide compensation for growers for wildlife damage. “That was one of the pillars of Growing Forward and for whatever reason Ontario didn’t pick up on that,” he says. Crop insurance plans in other provinces have wildlife damage listed as an insured peril, but that isn’t available for horticultural crops in Ontario.Gilroy says they’d like to see a program that protects Ontario growers from wildlife damage. BF Standards need to remain voluntary, industry reps caution Sheep abduction case back in court at the end of the month
FCC Predicts Canadian Farmers will Wait to Buy New Farm Equipment Thursday, May 1, 2025 This year may not be the year to buy a brand-new John Deere X Series combine. No matter how great it would be to raise harvest capacity by 45 percent, Canadian farmers may put off their purchase until later. Rising farm equipment prices due to trade disruptions will alter farmers'... Read this article online
Holland Marsh Celebrates 100 Years of Agricultural Excellence Thursday, May 1, 2025 Celebrating a century of farming, community, and natural heritage in Ontario’s “Salad Bowl” 2025 marks a significant milestone for the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Holland Marsh—a region renowned for its rich soil, vibrant farming... Read this article online
How will Carney work with Farmers? Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Prime Minister Carney has a mandate to lead the country, but the country is quite divided, and much of the agriculture industry feels alienated. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre have both pledged cooperation on key issues like U.S. tariffs. As the new... Read this article online
Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online
2025 Election Results Prompt Concern and Reflection Among Prairie Farmers Tuesday, April 29, 2025 Users on Agriville.com weigh-in on the 2025 federal election outcome As news broke on April 28 that Mark Carney’s Liberals had won the 2025 federal election, many western Canadian farmers on Agriville.com shared their reactions. The mood was largely one of disappointment, with... Read this article online